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What do you mean, “Keep some powder dry?

December 4, 2009 by  

I want to thank the many thousands of you who have posted comments at the end of my various Straight Talk columns. I really enjoy reading these interesting, intelligent, informed, opinionated, controversial and sometimes downright insulting responses that you all have posted.

If you’ve never read some of the correspondence that my articles have elicited, I encourage you to do so. Just scroll down to the bottom of one of my past columns. (Click here to see the Straight Talk archive.)

One question that’s appeared several times asks what I mean by the tagline at the end of each column—“Until next time, keep some powder dry.” One severely myopic reader wondered if I wasn’t trying to incite violence.

That’s ridiculous. The phrase means keep something in reserve, and protect your ammunition, so you’ll always be ready for the next battle. These days, that’s very good advice for every patriotic American.

The oldest reference I could find to the expression was attributed to Oliver Cromwell, who told his troops, “Put your trust in God, but mind to keep your powder dry.”

That’s a very good sentiment… from a very bad man.

As part of my research, I Googled the expression, “keep some powder dry,” and got 1.1 million hits. (I only checked the first two pages.) But this absolutely amazed me: When I added my name and Googled “keep some powder dry, Chip Wood,” I got 894,000 hits. The vast majority had nothing to do with me, however. They were all about keeping wood and chips dry. Drat!

—Chip Wood

Filed Under: Chip Shots
Chip Wood

is the geopolitical editor of PersonalLiberty.com. He is the founder of Soundview Publications, in Atlanta, where he was also the host of an award-winning radio talk show for many years. He was the publisher of several bestselling books, including Crisis Investing by Doug Casey, None Dare Call It Conspiracy by Gary Allen and Larry Abraham and The War on Gold by Anthony Sutton. Chip is well known on the investment conference circuit where he has served as Master of Ceremonies for FreedomFest, The New Orleans Investment Conference, Sovereign Society, and The Atlanta Investment Conference.

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  • http://libertyreservebank.net/deposits.html Errol Goodman

    GOOD ARTICLE LOVE THIS. Keep give more informations Your Great !

  • GOODBULL

    VERY WISE==PRAGMATIC TIGHT LINES DRY POWDER

  • http://google mathilda musgrove

    Just to let you know, I am keeping my powder dry. And I like that at the end of your article.
    I know what it means and if the rest of the country is dumb enuff to not realize what it means and what can and is happening to this county I feel for them.
    Might do a article on how to servive if that happens, it is very real, not if but when it happens. Keeping the powder dry in the old days when we had to rely on getting our own meat and defending our selves.
    I bet 80% of the american population don’t even have a way to survive if something drastic happens to this country.
    If the electricity goes out, what does that mean? NO, GAS, NO FOOD, NO WAY OF SURVIVAL. I have a garden each yr and I have mules and horses to get around if that happens. I even have a wagon and a buckboard.
    I also, have a way to defend my property and my family if this should happen.
    I can all my vegetables and stock up on can food and rotate that as I go.
    I am getting ready for survival and defense if this country goes into a revolution. Might check out the Mormons, they are really smart as far as being independent, they can survive on their own and do not have to have all the luxuries we have to have. Think how they are growing thier own food supply and own furniture and how they do thier own electricity ect.
    The United States is really spoiled on depending on someone else to take care of them.
    Later!

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